Refrigerator



Nov. 24, 1936. H. L. MERRILL, 2,062,140

REFRIGERATOR Filed March 25, 1956 HV1/5N To@ a HARRYL/MEHRLL Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR Harry L. Merrill, Nashua, N. H.

Application March 25, 1936, Serial No. 70,741

6 Claims. (Cl. 62-46) My invention relates to refrigerators and particularly to improvements inrefrigerators of the front icing type and in which the cold air from the ice compartment flows downwardly ,into the storage compartment through a centrally disposed opening in the bottom of the partition which divides the interior of the refrigeratorv into said compartments. At the present time a great quantity of ice sold is manufactured in cakes of standard size and shape, and while my invention is in no sense limited to the use of manufactured ice, because natural ice can be cutmore or less to a desired size and shape, I find that in a refrigerator designed to be charged with a standardized cake Vof ice whereby small clearance especially at the ends is permitted, and

wherein the air circulation is controlled and di-` Various refrigerators have been designed in which the warm air from the storage compartment is conducted across the bottom of the ice. A

In such cases it is obvious that the temperature of the circulating air is highest at the point where it first contacts the ice or the metal heatconducting surfaces in contact therewith. Hence, the ice melts fastest at the point where it contacts the air of highest temperature and, if this point is at one only of the bottom edges, the cake or block soon acquires a tilt or list toward that edge. In order to compensate for this tilting or listing it has been proposed to vary the area of the heat transfer surfaces which the air contacts in passing across the bottom of the ice; these areas being least at the point where the ai'r enters and greatest' in the zones where the air is coolest. Designs of this character are not satisfactory because it is impossible properly to proportion the heat conducting areas to conform to all operating conditions.

` In my copending applications Serial Nos. 57,673 and 57,674 I have disclosed refrigerators characterized by the appreciably lower temperatures which it is possible to maintain in the storage compartment and by the flat meltage of the ice. The present invention, in a way, combines desirable features found separately in the aforesaid applications and other features whereby the general design is simplified without sacrificing any of the advantages of the other types.

With these and other objects in View my invention includes the novel elements and the combinations and arrangements thereof described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. l is a fragmentary cross section of my refrigerator;

Fig. 2 is a cross section similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the ice rack; and

Fig. 4 is a front elevation view of the rack.

Referring to the drawing, my refrigerator comprises the usual heat-insulated cabinet I provided .with a transverse partition therein, represented generally by the numeral 2, which divides the interior of the cabinet into a refrigerant space 3 above and a storage space 4 below. The partition 2 is preferably heat-insulated and comprises a metal covering 5 enclosing heat-insulating material 6. For purposes of clearly illustrating the construction, the thickness of the partition is exaggerated in the drawing. This partition is provided with a central opening 'l for the down ow of cold air.

Supported on the partition with its bottom in closely spaced relation thereto is the ice rack 8 which preferably, but not necessarily, comprises a single piece of thin sheet metal bent to form a plurality of V-shaped ridges and valleys which extend parallel to the sides of the cabinet or, inl other words, from the front to the back of the refrigerator so that in re-icing, the edge of a block of ice may be supported thereon and the block pushedeaslly into the box; it being understood thatthere is an icing door at the front having its ,sill at about the level of the top of the rack. Welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of the rack are supports represented generally by the numeral 9. Where the partition 2 is inclined downwardly towards the central opening, as shown in Fig. 1, the supports `are in the form shown a't Ill so that the top of the ice rack when supported on the partition is substantially horizontal. Where the partition has only a slight drainage inclination towards the central opening, as shown in Fig. 2, the supports for the rack are of the type shown at II. It is to be understood in either case that the partition is inclined slightly from the front toward a drain pipe I2 at the rear and lips I3 are turned up at the edges of the central opening to prevent water from flowing through the central opening into the storage compartment.

Adjacent the interior sides of the cabinet are upwardly extending' ducts I4 for the up-fiow of warm air from the storage compartment to the refrigerating compartment. One side of each duct is formed by the side of the cabinet and the other side by an insulated baille I5 which extends upwardly to theinterior top of the cabinet but which is provided with a lateral opening I6 at an elevation slightly above the top of the ice rack; the ducts being closed by deflectors I'I above the lateral openings. 'I'he dotted lines I8 represent a block of ice resting upon the rack and, in practice, the warm air issuing from the lateral opening I6 impinges against the lower side portions of the block I8 and undercuts the same as shown at I9. It will be noted that the ice rack at thev ends is spaced somewhat from the bailies I5 to provide air passages 20 for the down-now of air into the passage between the transverse partition and the ice rack.

The warm air issuing from the top of the ducts Il and impinging againstthe lower Dside or end portions of the ice block is sufficiently chilled by its contact with the ice so that it flows downto the central opening. Moreover, the undercut portions of the ice which, as the melting progresses, form pocket-like cavities, not only prevent .the warm air from rising into the upper part of the ice compartment but actually deflect it downwardly concurrently with the chilling thereof.

The ice rack may be:open orsubstantially imperforate but in the latter case it is desirable to provide openings, such as those shown at 2l in Fig. 3, to permit water to drop therethrough and wash the air in thefair passage beneath the rack and also to permit air to flow downwardly therethrough when the openings become uncovered due to the meltage of the ice to a small piece.

In order to prevent condensation on the bottom of the rack from falling through the opening in partition 2 a deflector plate 22 is secured to the. bottom of the rack over the central opening. This plate is downwardly inclined from the center and its edges overlie the partition so that water dropping therefrom will fall on the top ofthe partition instead of falling through the central Opening.

The rack supports 9 extend somewhat beyond .the rack, as shown at 23 and 24, and serve to space the rack from the front and back of the refrigerator to provide additional spaces here for the downilow of cold air.

Stops 2l, are also` preferably provided on tcp of the rack at the rear to prevent the ice cake from being pushed against the interior back of the cabinet.

While I have described my invention in its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the words which I have vused are .words of description rather than of limitation. Hence, changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made' without departing from-the true scope and spirit of my invention in its'troader aspects. What I claim is: 1 The method of reirigerating with a body of ice whereby tojconfine theprogressive meltage thereof substantially to the lower portions of said body which'comprises dividing a -ilow of air to be cooled into two, separate, substantiallyequal streams, directing said streams simultaneously into contact with opposite ends of said body in sones near the bottom thereof, whereby to effect an undercutting of said body in said zones and,

ly projecting the air to be cooled at substantially equal rates directly against lower opposite side portions of said body above but adjacent the zones of support thereof; whereby to effect a chilling of the air and an increase in its density to initiate a downward flow thereof at these points; directing the downflowing air streams beneath said body of ice while maintaining said flowing streams in` high, heat-transfer-relation to the bottom of said ice, and thereafter combining said streams.

' 3. An ice Vrefrigerator comprising a cabinet,

a transverse partition therein provided with a central opening for the down iiow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below, anice rack in said ice compartment cooperating with said. partition to form air pas'- sages therebetween communicating with. said I central opening and with said ice compartment at opposite sides thereof, means for conducting warm air upwardly from said storagejcompartment in separate streams' at said opposite sides of said compartment and discharging it directly against opposite sides of a body of ice supported on said rack and in zones just above the zones of communication of said air passages with said ice compartment; whereby to eil'ect an-undercutting of said ice adjacent said rack and a downward flow of said air streams into said passages through the deiiecting eii'ect of said undercut-l tings thereon combined with the force of gravity due to the increase in densityof the air by reason of itsicontact with said ice. l

4. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a

transverse partition therein provided with a central opening for the down ow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartmentfabove and a storage compartment below; said partition being downwardly inclined from the sides thereof towards said opening; an

ice rack in said ice compartment cooperating with said partitionto form air passages therebetween communicating with said central openingand with said ice compartment at opposite sides thereof,'means for -conducting warm air upwardly from said storage compartment in separate streams at said opposite 4sides of said compartment'and discharging it' directly against opposite sides'of a .body ofv ice 'supported onfsaid rack and in zones just above said rack and above the Vzones of communication of saidvairpassages with said ice compartment; whereby to effect an undercut-l ting .of said ice adjacent said rack and a downwardlow of said air streams intosaid passages through the-deiiecting effect ofsaid unfercut-4 l tings thereon combined with the force of gravity due to the increase in density of the air by reason of its contact vwith said'ice. 5. An ,ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a

"transverse partition therein provided with a-central opening .for the down flow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice 75 compartment above and a storage compartment below, an ice rack in said ice compartment comprising thin metal having a plurality of alternate ridges and valleys therein extending in a direction from front to back of said cabinet and cooperating with said partition to form air passages therebetween communicating with said central opening and with said ice compartment at opposite sides thereof, means for conducting warm air upwardly from said storage compartment in separate streams at said opposite sides of said compartment and discharging it directly against opposite sides of a body of ice supported on said rack and in zones just above said rack and above the zones of communication of said air passages with said ice compartment; whereby to eiect an undercutting of said ice adjacent said rack and a downward flow of said .air streams into said passages through the deflecting eiect of said undercuttings thereon combined with the force of gravity due to the increase in density of the air by reason of its contact with said ice.

6. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a transverse partition therein provided with a central opening for the down flow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below; said partition being downwardly inclined from the sides thereof towards said opening; an ice rack in said ice compartment comprising thin metal having a plurality of alternate ridges and valleys therein extending in a direction from front to back of said cabinet and cooperating with said partition to form air passages therebetween communicating with said central opening and with said ice compartment at opposite sides thereof, means for conducting warm air upwardly from said storage compartment in separate streams at said opposite sides of said compartment and discharging it directly against opposite sides of a body of ice supported on said rack and in zones just above said rack and above the zones of communication of said air passages with said ice compartment; whereby to eiiect an undercutting of said ice adjacent said rack and a downward ow of said air streams into said passages through the deecting effect of said undercuttings thereon combined with the force of gravity due to the increase in density of the air by reason of its contact with said ice.

HARRY L. MERRILL. 

